1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal that can enhance user usage convenience with a slimmer terminal.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a mobile terminal means a cellular phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the like, which a user can carry with himself/herself to send/receive various kinds of information, such as images, voices, and text massages via wireless communication or to receive various services via connection to a predetermined server.
That form of the mobile terminal, especially a cellular phone, has evolved from an initial bar type into a flip type, folder type, and a slide member type according to consumer demand and technical development.
Recently, the decreasing thickness of a mobile terminal has become a key part for the success of mobile terminal technology in satisfying a user's demand, because a user prefers a slimmer and lighter mobile terminal with a large display window to enjoy various multi-media functions as well as to talk on the terminal.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a conventional slide type mobile terminal. FIGS. 1 and 2 are side sectional views illustrating a state where a conventional mobile terminal slides up and slides down, respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional slide type mobile terminal includes a body 10 and a LCD (liquid crystal display) part 20. A main PCB (printed circuit board) 12 is embedded longitudinally from an upper end of the mobile terminal to a lower end thereof. The LCD part 20 is provided on a front surface of the body 10 to be capable of sliding on the front surface and has a LCD 22 therein to display various kinds of information.
The body 10 and the LCD part 20 dually split the conventional mobile terminal from the upper end to the lower end. The body 10 further includes an antenna, a keypad 14 and a battery 15. The antenna is an embedded antenna which transmits/receives a signal to/from a base station and the like. The keypad 14 is provided in a lower portion of the body 10 to be exposable by a user's sliding up the LCD part 20 so that he/she may use keys. The battery 15 is mounted to a rear surface of the body 10 to supply power to various sub-assemblies provided within the conventional mobile terminal. The LCD part 20 further includes a PCB 23 that is electrically connected to the LCD 22.
Also, a FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) 24 passes through the body 10 and the LCD part 20 to connect the main PCB 12 to the PCB 23 for the LCD 22. Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional mobile terminal has a sliding device installed between the body 10 and the LCD part 20 to enable the LCD part 20 to slide upwardly.
However, because the main PCB and the PCB for LCD are vertically provided from the upper end to the lower end of the mobile terminal, it is difficult to reduce the overall thickness of the mobile terminal farther.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is useless space created partially within the body 10 and the LCD part 20. Thereby, the conventional mobile terminal has another problem of inappropriate space utility.
Furthermore, the conventional mobile terminal has still another problem in that it is difficult to make it slimmer, because the antenna should be installed in either the body or the LCD part.
Still further, the conventional mobile terminal has still another problem in that the upper part thereof is relatively lighter than the lower part when the LCD part slides up, thereby not affording much protection from impacts to the display.
Finally, the conventional mobile terminal has still another problem that it is limited to make it slimmer, because of the thickness of sliding device additionally installed between the body and the LCD part.